Forgotten Stories: The Frozen Ranger
by Nerdy-girls17
Summary: The youngest child of Morgarath...this story follows the journey of the young girl as she learns and fights against her inheritance of the Lord of Night.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Harsh winter winds whipped back and forth. A small figure in struggled through the knee deep snow. A white cape wrapped around the figure, blowing in the snow. But if you peered closer, you'd see it was actually a cloak. Long, white boots and a dress adorned its body. The figure stumbled in the snow and let out a cry – One that sounds like a girl.

The girl looked up, crystal blue eyes shown beneath raven black hair and her eyes started to droop with exhaustion.

I can't do this anymore. I'm so tired. I'll lay my head down, just for a little bit. A few minutes never harmed anybody.

Then she laid her head down in the snow and closed her eyes. This one thought played in her head:

Maybe if I rest, all this will go away and I'll finally make it to Araluen, away from that cruel Lord.

Then she allowed sleep to claim her, her body to worn to force her up any longer.

A few minutes later a man in a gray cloak passed by the unconscious girl on a short, roundish, and shaggy pony. The man stopped as he saw the white cloth billow in the wind.

Strange, he thought. He patted the horse gently and then slid from its back. The horse blew air from its nostrils as it watched its rider crouch over the girl.

He shook her and called, "Hey, you okay? Hello?" The girl didn't respond. The man looked up at his horse that bent down to sniff the girl.

"What do you think, should we bring her along?" the man asked the horse. The horse almost seemed to nod.

Smiling at the horse, he reached down and put one hand under her head and with the other, scooped up her legs, holding his hand under her knees. Then he hauled her onto the horse's back.

Following suit, he remounted his horse and patted its neck again. Clicking his tongue, the horse started walking again toward Araluen.

When the group arrived at one of the castles, the man took the girl off his horse and knocked on the door of the castle. After a few moments, a man with short brown hair and kind, green eyes opened it.

"How may I help you Ranger-"the man broke off when he saw the still unconscious girl in the Ranger's arms.

"Right this way sir." The Ranger followed the man as he led him past several flights of stairs and down different halls, stopping at a door and lightly pushed it open. "She can rest here."

The Ranger entered the room and set the woman down on the bed, then suddenly noticed a bump on her stomach area.

Oh my gosh, she's pregnant.

He looked at her before following the other man out of the room. Once they exited, the man turned to the Ranger.

"Where did you find her?"

"Outside in a snow bank," responded the Ranger.

"How long had she been there?"

"I don't know, her lips were blue and her nose had gone red, but she wasn't frozen and still breathing. She must have been out there for a while, not long enough to kill her though."

"Hmm… I'll talk to the Baron."

"You do that," said the Ranger. Then he looked out the windows, his cowl casting a shadow over his face as he murmured, "I'll have to stay here. That storm is to strong."

"What was that?"

"Nothing," replied the Ranger. Then as an afterthought, "That woman is pregnant. I believe she may give birth soon."

The man's eyes widened and his face paled. "I'll get a healer up here as soon as I can."

The Ranger nodded before turning around and looked back into the room at the still form. Shaking his head, he turned and followed the man once again while he was given a room to stay in.

The woman woke up to sunlight streaming in and hitting her eyes. Groaning, she rolled over, out of the sun. Below her she felt the soft silkiness of sheets. She snuggled into them, curving her legs up to her chest around her belly. She placed a hand on her child, smiling as she felt it move.

"You're awake," said a male voice.

She jolted up right, and grabbed at the dagger on her waist. She looked around, fear pulsing through her as she gazed around the room.

The voice chuckled. "Don't worry Ma'am. I'm not going to hurt you."

Turning toward the voice, she saw a guy in a gray-green cloak watching her. She recognized him instantly as a Ranger. Sagging in relief, she let go of the dagger.

"Does this mean I'm in Araluen?"

"Yes you are."

"Thank goodness."

The ranger came closer and sat down on a chair.

"Tell me, why where you out in the storm?"

The woman looked down at her hands. "I was running away from my master."

"Why?"

"Because he is cruel and mean."

"Okay, but why go in the storm?"

"I figured it would be easier for me to escape if his minions couldn't follow me. The storm was the best option."

Now he leaned forward. "And who is your master? Is he the father of the child you bare?"

She glanced at the ranger, fear full. "He is the father, but he is no longer my master, not now that I'm here."

"Who is your master?"

Biting her lip, the woman replied, "Morgarath."

The ranger shook his head in shock. "You were under Morgarath? How did you escape?"

The woman looked down at her hands. "I waited for a stormy day where I could escape and his Wargals couldn't track me and I ran."

He nodded.

"But sir, I couldn't take my son for he is watched too closely. Morgarath seems to have something special in mind for him. He would have done the same to this one," She paused long enough to point at her belly. "But I couldn't let him do that. I don't want my children's minds poisoned by him. For my son, it is too late."

The Ranger looked down, he felt sorry for her. "What is your name miss?"

"Angelica. And yours?"

He looked at Angelica for a second before replying, "Vince."

 **Prologue**

Angelica smiled and laid her head on her pillow and closed her eyes. "Vince, what a nice name."

Vince didn't reply. And when she opened her eyes again, Vince was gone. _Typical Ranger._

Months passed and Angelica lay on her bed, sweat dripping from her forehead as she cried out in pain.

"Breathe," said one of the women that surround her. She did, but she felt her strength ebbing.

Pain sliced through her body as she had been in labor since well into the night. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she gave another push, she felt even weaker and she didn't know if she could get through this.

"One last push," said the women again. Angelica pushed with one last effort and as she heard her baby's first cry, she closed her eyes and let out one final breath.

The women pulled out the baby and wrapped it up. "It's a girl!" they exclaimed in pure joy, but then when they looked at the mother, they noticed she wasn't breathing. One of the women put a hand to her throat then shook her head.

The woman still holding the child, looked down at it as it cried. A voice sounded nearby, "May I see the child?"

The woman turned to see the Ranger of their fief. He walked over to them. The woman nodded and held out the child. "Is she yours?" the woman asked.

"No, but I brought her mother here to safety."

"Who's the father then?"

"I don't know," Vince lied, looking at the girl. She was red. "I know a good place for her though."

Nodding to the women who prepared for the burial, Vince turned and walked down the stairs. He looked at the girl and and smiled to himself. Then he walked out of the castle and to one of the taverns.

He opened the door and looked around. There was only one other customer and he was leaning against the wall, drunk and sleeping. Vince walked to the counter and called, "Stephen!"

There was a sound of dishes being moved and a few banging noises before a man with brown hair, glasses, and kind green eyes appeared. "Ah, Vince! How can I help you?"

Vince shook his head. "I don't need help, but this one does." Then he lifted the girl in a blanket so Stephen could see. "I know that you and your wife have been trying to have a child, but have been unsuccessful right?"

Stephen nodded, staring down at the child. "We have." Then he tilted his head back to the kitchen and called, "Mariam! Come here!"

A few seconds later, a woman with red hair and blue eyes walked in carrying a dish towel. She froze when she saw the baby. "Who's this?"

Vince looked at the now sleeping baby and smiled sadly. "She doesn't have a name. Her mother died giving birth to her."

"Poor child!" Mariam said, coming over and gently taking the baby. Looking up at her husband, she said, "Let's keep her."

Stephen looked at his wife and then at the girl, a smile appearing on his face. "What do you want to name her?"

"Hmm...Iris."

"That's a good name," commented Vince. "Take good care of her."

Stephen nodded, still looking at the baby. "We will." When he looked up for the Ranger, he was gone.

He smiled to himself before getting back to work. His wife meanwhile took the child to their room and put her in their soft bed until they could afford to buy a new one.

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 **Frostbite: Welcome everyone! We ran into some technical difficulties so until we get it resolved, we will be uploading stories other than** ** _The Children of Morgarth._** **This is one of the ones I write, and started on my usual account but I'm transferring here. I hope you enjoyed!**

 **Please Review, Favorite, or Follow.**


	2. Chapter 1

I stood at the counter, cleaning off an ale spill with a wet rag. The man at the counter gave me a smile and spoke, "Why don't you come over here sweetie?"

I rolled my eyes and approached with my rag. "Would you like something, another cup of ale?"

"I do want something, but not the drink." Then he reached forward and grabbed my hand. My annoyed expression turned to one of anger and I tried to pull my hand out from his but to no avail.

"Let go," I said, clenching my teeth.

"Why sweet heart?"

"DON'T CALL ME SWEETHEART!" I growled at him. My blond - almost white - bangs flopped onto my forehead as I glared at him. I felt an icy coldness stretch along my arm and I slowly let it out.

The man jerked his hand back as if struck by sudden ice. Which in a sense, he did.

Frowning at him, I feigned concern. "Oh, are you okay?" I asked, blinking my ice blue eyes at him.

The man shook his head and left the counter.

 _Good riddens_ , I thought, going back to my cleaning. He was the third man to try to get personal with me today, and the third one that had felt a sudden bite of cold as they did. I had little tolerance for men touching me in that kind of way.

Lucky for me, my shift was almost over and as I cleaned the counter, the door opened quietly. I glanced up through my loose hair and recognized the gray and green cloak of a Ranger, more specifically, Vince.

He sat down at the counter and I gave him a slight smile.

"Iris, right?" he asked.

"That's me," I responded. "Would you like some coffee?"

A smile broke out on his face and he replied, "sure."

I smiled back and began on making sure the water was hot. Then I broke up the beans before putting them in the pot. I stirred them around, and a few minutes later, poured some in a cup and set the mug in front of the Ranger.

"So, what brings you here?" I asked him, leaning on the counter.

He took a sip and licked his lips appreciatively before replying, "I'd like to speak with your father."

Nodding, I filled his empty cup before calling into the kitchen, "Dad! Vince is here!"

A few minutes passed before a response came, "Coming!"

I smiled and turned back to the Ranger, examining his face. He had a long face and cleft chin that was covered up by thin whiskers of a beard. His hair hung down slightly over his eyes and while his hair was mostly brown, there were very small traces of gray. His dark green eyes looked me over and I glanced at the kitchen door as my father entered.

"Hey doll. You can go now," he said, kissing my forehead.

I took off the apron and grinned before going outside through the kitchen. I waved at my mom, who smiled back. I grabbed a black cloak that sat on a hook and pushed through the door.

Once outside, I checked my clothes to see if I had any stains on them. Satisfied, I nodded and set off to the woods next to the village at a trot. I entered the woods and climbed up into a tree. I loved being up high, I felt free when I did.

I didn't dare climb the castle for fear of being caught, nor did I go on top of the tavern very often. I might have done it today, but I planned on meeting with some of my friends, and I wanted to see how long it took them to find me.

I slowly reached forward and flicked my hood over my head, making sure to tuck my hair inside the hood. It was a dead give away if I didn't because my hair stood out against everything but the snow, which I hated.

As I clung to the branch, I scanned the path below me, waiting for my friends. Then I heard their laughter before I saw them.

A boy with messy black hair and brown eyes was walking next to another boy, but this one had red hair and blue eyes. The black hair, shoved the red head, and the red returned the favor with a laugh.

Behind them walked a girl with brown hair and brown eyes, and she watched the two boys amused as she carried a picnic basket. They walked past me a ways before settling down in the soft grass.

After a few minutes, the girl looked around. "Where's Iris, she said she would meet us here?"

The boys shrugged and the girl rolled her eyes.

I smiled and slowly inched my way toward them, careful not to let the branch move too much and alert them of my presence. As I found myself above the red head, I wrapped my legs around my branch and swung down saying, "Boo!"

My blond hair and hood had become loose with my swing and the red head leaped away in fright. "Yikes!" he shouted.

I laughed and unhooked my legs from the tree, rolling on the ground to break the fall.

He stared at me. "Jeez, Iris, you scared me."

The other two laughed and I smiled in triumph and crossed my arms. My blond bangs falling into my face and the braid falling onto my back.

"Hey guys," I said as I plopped down on the grass and sprawled my legs out in front of me.

"Can you please not do that again?" asked the redhead shakily sitting down.

"I can try Lance, but no promises," I answered, grabbing one of the sweets that the girl had laid out.

"Iris..." she warned.

I shrugged. "I'm sorry. You all know I can't help myself."

"Yes we all know," said the black haired boy.

"Rachel, Francis, can we please stop talking about this and eat?" asked Lance.

The others nodded and I smiled at my friends before grabbing a sandwich and talking a bite. As I sat with my friends, I wondered for a second what Vince had come to talk to my father about.

...

Vince sat across from the girl, drinking his coffee. She seemed nice enough, she had grown up nicely. But Vince wondered if any bit of that evil lord was in her. From what he'd seen, there wasn't anything.

When Stephen came out to the front, he waited for the girl to leave, the door banging softly behind her before he spoke.

"She's filled out well."

"Yes," said Stephen cautiously.

"She seems nice, kinder than I might have expected."

Stephen glanced at the Ranger curiously. "What do you mean by that?"

Vince sighed and took another sip of his coffee. "I never told you who her father was, did I. Then again, I have no right to, she's not mine."

The bartender didn't know what to say to that so he let Vince work out his thoughts.

"Anyway, I didn't come here to talk about her your daughter's history."

"Then what did you come to talk about?"

"Her future."

Stephen eyed the Ranger. "What about her future."

Vince leaned forward and set the cup down. "Well, it's come to my attention that Iris possesses skills that are found in a Ranger."

"What are you getting at Vince."

"I'd like to take Iris as my apprentice."

"You've got to be joking."

Vince's face hardened. "No joke, she is a very talented young woman and I've seen her at work. But before we get too far, I'd like to see her in action."

"Vince..."

Vince raised and eyebrow at Stephen. "At least give her a chance."

Stephen considered it for a minute before sighing. "Fine, tomorrow you can test her."

Vince nodded his thanks as Stephen went off to take care of another customer. When he finished his coffee, he got up and left the tavern quietly, barely any noise was heard from the door as it closed shut behind him.

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 **Frost: For those of you who didn't know, this story is mainly written by me.**

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